Sylvester Stallone has revealed that he didn’t necessarily sign up to be one of President Donald Trump‘s special Hollywood ambassadors.
Last year, Trump named Stallone, along with Jon Voight and Mel Gibson, as “Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!” The president said the three veteran actors “will be my eyes and ears” in Hollywood and that he “will get done what they suggest.”
However, during a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Stallone revealed that he learned about his presidential appointment while watching television.
“Well, it just happened,” the Rocky star said. “I was watching TV one night and they go, ‘So Stallone and Mel Gibson and Jon Voight will be …’ And I went, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Excuse me? Really?’ Because if they had asked me in the beginning, I would have said, ‘This is not possible.’”
Stallone admitted he had reservations about the position “because Hollywood, I guess it’s like feudal states. They have their little kingdoms. You don’t go in and tell six studios how to do things. And Mel Gibson and Jon Voight, we’re kind of do-our-own-thing people. No, it won’t work.”
He also explained this to Trump. “I said thank you and ciao, because it’s impossible,” Stallone added. “Hollywood works and it will evolve. It’s corporate and corporate people won’t want to hear me tell them about finance.”
While Stallone has publicly supported Trump, previously introducing the president-elect at a party at Mar-a-Lago following his 2024 re-election, he’s also endorsed politicians across the political spectrum throughout his career. The Tulsa King actor has maintained, “I am not a political animal,” and “I’m almost a political atheist.”
Earlier this month, Voight sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss how he’s used his “special ambassador” role to lobby for a federal film and television tax credit at the White House.
“If we get on an even keel with the rest of the world’s tax benefits, if we get that break, there’s going to be an explosion of energy,” the Oscar winner said of whether Hollywood will see another golden age. “It will be immediate. As someone mentioned, our business is a shovel-ready business. They will call people tomorrow, people will be getting ready immediately. [Then] it affects the communities they’re working in. Is it going to come back? Yes, I think it’s going to.”
Voight was also asked if he’s spoken to Gibson and Stallone about the federal tax credit and if they’ll be getting involved. “They’ve been very busy, both of those guys actually have been extremely busy,” he said. His manager, Steven Paul, added, “Sly’s been doing his TV show, but Sly’s been very involved and he signed our letter” to the president.